1-Start your Peanut Butter Spider Cookies adventure: by preheating the oven to 350°F. This ensures even baking for those soft, chewy centers. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to keep things neat and prevent sticking.

2-In a large bowl, cream together ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and ⅓ cup granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, mixing well to combine. This step builds the base flavor that makes these cookies irresistible.

3-Next, whisk in the dry ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until just combined to avoid tough cookies. For added fun, roll the dough balls in extra granulated sugar before placing them on the sheet.

4-Scoop the dough into uniform balls, about 1.5 inches wide, to ensure even baking. Freeze the 24 mini peanut butter cups ahead of time so they keep their shape when pressed in. Space the dough balls on the prepared sheet, giving them room to spread.

5-Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges crack and turn golden, but the centers stay soft. Right after baking, press a frozen mini peanut butter cup into each cookie’s center. Let them cool on the sheet for 15-20 minutes to set properly and maintain that festive spider look.

6-Once cooled, melt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with an optional ½ teaspoon neutral oil. Use this to pipe spider legs on each side of the cookie, creating eight legs per spider. Attach candy eyeballs with a small dab of melted chocolate before it hardens.